Events

For the tenth consecutive year, Hamline University remains the top-ranked Minnesota university in its class in the 2011 rankings of “America’s Best Colleges” by U.S.News & World Report magazine.

Hamline ranked first in Minnesota and ninth among 142 universities in the Midwest region in the magazine’s Best Regional Universities category. Hamline has been ranked in the top nine in the Midwest since it was added to the Best Regional Universities category (formerly titled Best Universities-Master’s category) in 2001.

Other Minnesota schools in this category include Bethel (tied for #17), St. Catherine University (tied for #17), Augsburg College (#22), College of St. Scholastica (#24), and Concordia University (#95).

“For a decade, Hamline’s academic reputation and strength have been affirmed by U.S.News’ annual rankings in its America’s Best Colleges publication. This reflects Hamline’s long-standing commitment to providing exceptional teaching and learning opportunities and true value for a quality education to students,” said Dr. Linda Hanson, president of Hamline University. “However, rankings are just one reference tool for students and parents to learn about various schools, and I believe that students should visit the campuses early in the decision process, thoroughly examine the courses and programs offered, and consider carefully the caliber of teaching they will receive to make sure the college or university they do choose is the right fit for them.”

In the U.S.News section entitled “Great Schools, Great Prices,” in which schools are ranked in terms of dollar value for the quality of education, Hamline University was again in the top fifteen “best value” schools among the 142 universities in its class. Hamline was the only Minnesota school in the Best Regional Universities category to make this list. The only others to be considered ‘best value’ schools in Minnesota were Carleton College and Macalester College; they are ranked in the National Liberal Arts Colleges category.

The magazine’s Best Regional Universities category includes schools throughout the nation that award primarily undergraduate and master’s degrees and a small number of doctorate degrees. The rankings measure a school’s overall academic reputation, as well as selected criteria within its undergraduate college, such as average graduation rate, first year student retention, class size, and faculty to student ratio, among other criteria, to compute an academic quality rating.

In addition to the Best Regional Universities category, U.S.News ranks colleges and universities in three other major categories, including Best Regional Colleges, Best National Liberal Arts Colleges and Best National Universities. A complete listing of this year's rankings is available at the U.S.News & World Report website at: www.usnews.com.